Bill > AB5

This bill adds Section 15307 to the California Elections Code, requiring elections officials to finish counting most ballots and release their vote count within 13 days following an election. The bill provides several exceptions to this 13-day deadline, including provisional ballots, ballots from conditional voter registrations, vote-by-mail ballots requiring signature verification, ballots received after the fourth day following the election, and duplicate ballots. If an elections official cannot meet the 13-day deadline, they must file a notice of extension with the Secretary of State, explaining the reason for the delay, and both the Secretary of State and the elections official must post this extension notice on their respective websites. The bill does not alter existing statutory obligations for counties to complete their vote canvasses. Additionally, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that implementing this bill creates state-mandated local costs, the state will reimburse local agencies and school districts for those expenses through established statutory procedures. The goal of this legislation appears to be promoting more timely and transparent election result reporting while providing reasonable accommodations for complex ballot processing scenarios.

Budget and Finance, Government Affairs

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB5